Finding Candidates: It’s More than CAN Do; It’s WILL Do

Once candidates get by the can do hurdle, an effective selection process needs to target two considerations: their ability to do the job, and, if they are productive, their ability to remain motivated to stay in the job. This means that there must be some method of measuring candidate expectations and matching them to the reality of the job and, more broadly, matching these expectations to what the organization is likely to deliver. Reducing turnover that is attributable to mismatched expectations can have great impact upon a business and offer substantial cost savings, because these employees are, in all likelihood, the higher performers the organization least wants to lose.

The most prevalent and critical mismatches occur because candidates  a) want to use their talents, b) want to be managed in a certain way, and c) want the job and work environment to meet their personal needs.

People want to do what they perceive themselves to be good at – they want to use their talents. So even if they can do a job competently, feeling under-utilized is a self-esteem issue, and employees won’t stay if they feel their talents are being wasted.

Similarly, people want to be managed in a way that enables them to perform to their maximum potential in an environment that matches their personality type. For example, some people require structure and explicit rules whereas others enjoy the thrill of ambiguity and an environment with minimal structure. Whatever those personal preferences are, if they are not being met, dissatisfaction is inevitable.

Lastly, success in any given job is a matter of intrinsic motivation. Everyone likes to run on some track that’s taking him or her where they want to go. Unless they perceive that their career aspirations, developmental and growth needs can be advanced, and unless they enjoy what they actually do every day, in a reasonably mobile job market, they won’t put up with frustration for long.

Hiring the wrong person is expensive, but hiring the right person only to watch him or her leave is even more expensive – and demoralizing. With more predictive assessment tools that measure will do, you have the opportunity to better engage these high performers and retain them longer.

__________________________________________________________________________For more than forty years, Frank Gump has been helping corporations become more productive and profitable by helping management teams identify and hire top performers and manage them most effectively. Developed and refined through extensive experience in more than 1200 organizations in the United States, Canada, England, and Australia, ADGI’s Organizational Management System (OMS) is a finely calibrated, technologically advanced decision-making process offering the potential for enormous payback. Contact ADGI for more insight and connect with Frank on LinkedIn. Follow ADGI on Twitter @ADGIGroup. Like ADGI on Facebook and follow us on Google+.